He said: “(There is) no discipline at all, (we have) lost control of the jail, yes they go behind the doors but they run the jail, they do because they get whatever they want whenever they want it …you will be assaulted, one way or another you will be assaulted in your career”.

Another added: “I don’t feel safe, ever.”

Viewers will be shocked when they see senior prison custody officer collapsed on the ground, shaking and having a fit after inadvertently inhaling the drug which was being smoked by prisoners.

Spice is a synthetic drug many times stronger than cannabis that causes hallucinations, panic attacks, disorientation and violence.

However, the covert footage reveals that Prison Officers don’t always call a nurse when they discover a prisoner having a bad reaction to the drug because it happens too frequently.

On the undercover reporter’s first day working at the prison, staff found 2.5kg of Spice in cells.
Officers have told BBC Panorama they believe the whole house block should have been locked down and searched. However, it wasn’t.

The investigation also found alarms on the outer doors of another house block were not working, and a hole was discovered in an adjacent internal security fence that allowed inmates to collect packages thrown over the outer perimeter wall at night.

Prisoners colouring Peppa Pig or anything similar is inexcusable. The challenge for prisons is to make classroom activity much more useful.

Sir Martin Narey - advisor to the British government

Sir Martin Narey, advisor to the British government and former Director General of the Prison Service of England and Wales tells Panorama: "Teaching prisoners numeracy and literacy to make them employable.

"The art of reducing re-offending is not complicated, if you get somebody employable and get them into a job, the probability of them not going back to serious crime is hugely increased.”

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Sir Martin has not seen any of BBC Panorama’s secret footage.

He said, “If we take people and lock them up and don’t use that period when they are literally captive, to try to do something, which makes it less likely that they’ll go and burgle someone’s house when they get out then we’re just losing a golden opportunity.”

Prison service provider Sodexo told the show: “We are proud of those staff at HMP Northumberland who do a professional job in such difficult circumstances.

“Security and the safety of our prisoners and staff are our top priority, which is why we have made significant investments in these two areas over and above the contract requirements. This has included £3million in a new fire safety system, additional CCTV and improved security technology. We have also recruited an additional 37 staff above the funded headcount.

“At the time of broadcast we had not seen the footage but after viewing the programme we will of course investigate where necessary and take appropriate action.”

The Ministry of Justice is now investigating the allegations.

A spokesperson told BBC Panorama: “These are extremely serious allegations which are being urgently investigated. The Justice Secretary has been clear that levels of violence and self-harm in our prisons are too high which is why we are investing an extra £100m annually to boost the frontline by 2,500 officers.

"Every officer will be responsible for a case load of six offenders, making sure all prisoners get the support needed to quit drugs and get the education and training that will help turn their lives around.

“These are long-standing issues which will not be resolved in weeks or months but we are determined to make our prisons places of safety and reform.

“We have robust processes in place to closely monitor and manage private contractors and will not hesitate to take action when standards fall short.”

Novus who provide many of the educational services at HMP Northumberland including the employability skills class mentioned above told BBC Panorama: “At Novus, we take any feedback extremely seriously and have robust internal checks and approval procedures in place to provide our learners and stakeholders with the best and most appropriate educational services for their specific needs.

“We have looked into the points raised and have compiled our findings into a report that we have provided to the Commissioner at the Ministry of Justice.”